When my husband first took our dog Jones to his first grooming session, he was typically tied with a short leash on top of a table to prevent him from jumping.  He was stiff and frightened.  Then Jones meets Desmond Chan, his new favorite human friend.

It began the moment he entered our home carrying a sparkling clean metal suitcase I had grown accustomed to when I worked with models and stylists back home.  We moved our Balinese table which we transformed into Jones’ pedestal for his grooming session as Desmond set-up his adjacent little work space.

Neat, focused and organized, Desmond exudes total professionalism in an industry that is usually associated with noisy clinics and smelly kennels.

I am SO envious! Caesar Millan came to Singapore this weekend for a show — and Desmond got some one-on-one time with him! How awesome is that. And I truly believe he truly deserves and earned that session with Caesar

His home service is ideal for me as I am severely allergic to almost all vets and pet shops, which is why I prefer to delegate related chores to my hubby.

Yesterday, however, Jones (and I)  had a markedly pleasant experience with his grooming session   Too cool that our dog would meet Desmond the night after his meeting with Caesar Millan!

Notice how our canine companion is without a leash, and how he kinda looks like he is falling asleep.  Then again, it could be his face as he has a default sleepy face.  To give credit to Jones, he’s generally a mild-mannered and easy dog.  Hopefully, he made life easy for Desmond who was very graceful and affectionate, and would firmly but gently discipline him if he starts moving around.  He didn’t need any assistance from us except to ask for a doggie bath towel.

I am extremely particular with doctors and staff handling my dog.  When Quita was still alive in Manila, I brought her to her initial vet clinic, a supposedly prominent veterinarian respected in the industry for years.  However, even as I would park the car, she would already be shivering in fear.  The doctor and his staff were cold, impersonal and had absolutely no bed-side manner whatsoever.  They didn’t even look like they loved dogs. later on, I found a clinic where even the security guard will volunteer to carry my dog and play with her as she trotted merrily into the clinic and make her way to the weighing scale on her own— unleashed

Look at that giant tuft of hairball.  That’s the product of a lot of slow and careful brushing to remove the matted hair and help shed old hair.  Make sure to have a vacuum cleaner handy when they’re done

I also found out that we could actually request to have Jones’ ears shaped.  I didn’t know that you can change the shape of his ears.  Here, his ears are rounded and he started to look the way he did when he was a young puppy.

Most Spitzes tend to get sharp and shaggy strands that match their pointy ears and tail.  Yesterday, Desmond gave Jones a new shape.  Observe the rounded tail and clean silhouette.

More than two hours later, Jones was happy and done — he’s so white

All that good behavior deserved several treats, a bit of sun and a nice, long nap.